


tied up in knots

by oops_I_lost_my_marbles



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Engagement, Fluff, IDENTITY SHENANIGANS, Identity Reveal, Oneshot, POV Female Character, POV Third Person, Short & Sweet, Swearing, Twister AU, adrienette fan club, but not really, how do any of them function at this point, mission ‘let’s get adrien and marinette together’, plan 42, rip hawkmoth, they play Twister and it goes terribly wrong, they're all idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26077468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oops_I_lost_my_marbles/pseuds/oops_I_lost_my_marbles
Summary: Years ago, an akuma left every citizen of Paris with their deepest secret tattooed somewhere on their body. Skip forward a few years: Hawkmoth is defeated, the kwamis leave, and neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir know who the other is. Alya comes up with a master plan to get Marinette to reveal her crush on Adrien, but she gets more than she bargained for.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 27
Kudos: 336





	tied up in knots

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE CONTINUING!
> 
> Hey! So, I wrote this fic while I’m working on another one. Basically, I took one of the concepts from my other fic and wrote a short story about it. I might post that other fic sometime after this, but I’ve been super unmotivated to write it so who knows.
> 
> If you’re here from one of my other fics, enjoy! This one’s short and sweet. If you’ve just stumbled upon my account, check out my other works! It would mean a lot to me.
> 
> Also: In this fic, they play Twister. I’ll just break down the rules real quick: you have a plastic mat with colored dots on it that spreads out on the floor. One person spins a spinner that controls whether your left/right hand or foot will go on what color. You have to successfully get your limb onto that dot without falling over. The last person standing wins. Honestly, I don’t think I explained it well, so just google it if you still don’t understand. Sorry!
> 
> Extra special big thank-you to my betas for this work: my cousin, Gianna, and @stars_n_suns
> 
> Enjoy:)

Marinette was tired of all the secrets and lies.

For nearly five years, she had been working diligently to protect her one big secret. Her life was one white lie after another, constantly covering up the truth with half-hearted excuses.

In the end, that’s all they were. Half-hearted. Because she didn’t have enough strength to keep going. She felt worse than Lila, and that was saying something.

Things were different now, though. Almost two years ago, Hawkmoth had been defeated. Immediately after, the kwamis had collected their miraculous and bid their wielders goodbye, moving on to the next cycle of Ladybugs and Chat Noirs. 

She didn’t know why she still had to hide her identity. The one thing that kept her from revealing it to everyone was that she hadn’t heard a peep from Chat Noir, which meant that he was still keeping his a secret. She didn’t know why, but she figured he had a reason.

She found herself thinking that it would be nice if people knew about her being Ladybug, superheroine of Paris. She could finally get rewarded for her good deeds. However, a part of her knew that she didn’t need to rely on other people’s recognition.

She threw herself into college full-time to distract from her mind’s constant battle. Between her studies and her part-time job at a nearby cafe, she was busy all the time. It was good. Life was good.

But why did it feel like something was missing?

“Marinette!” Paul, her coworker, shouted. “The coffee!” 

Marinette glanced down, realizing that she was distracted to the point of over-pouring the coffee again. She started mopping up the spilled coffee with a rag, suppressing her sigh. “Sorry.”

Paul just walked over, shaking his head. “You seem out of it lately. Anything on your mind?”

_ If only you knew. _ “I’m fine. School has just been especially difficult lately.”

“I feel that.” Paul started the blender, which made the room deafeningly loud for about a minute. Afterward, he lowered his voice to a whisper and said, “Are you sure this doesn’t have anything to do with that guy you were with last week? He used to come in every day to see you, and I haven’t seen him since Sunday.”

She cringed internally. “Yeah, things didn’t work out between us.”

Paul left it at that, rushing over to a table to take their orders. Marinette ran through her memories from Sunday.

Martin, one of their regular customers, had asked Marinette out on a date. Paul had claimed he ‘saw it coming’, which cued Marinette’s eye roll. She had agreed to go to dinner with him. They had Italian food and an exquisite red wine. It was an overall terrific night. Marinette had hardly noticed how much the pair of them had drunk, and before she knew it, they were kissing. 

Like always, something pulled her back. She sobered and drew back, mumbling how she wasn’t looking for a relationship now. Martin had laughed and said something about a one night stand. Martin had resumed the kiss and started to lift her shirt. She tried to pull back, but in the end, she didn’t have to.

Martin had seen the tattooed letters along her waistband and drew back in surprise. Marinette rolled out from underneath him. “You still have your secret tattooed?” He asked drunkenly.

Marinette nodded, flattening her shirt against her body. “Did you see what it said?”

“No,” he shook his head, “but I’d recognize that handwriting anywhere.”

Without another word, Marinette had fled his apartment. She hadn’t seen him since. Good riddance.

Her secret had always bothered her, not just because it told everyone what she wasn’t able to tell them, but because it was  _ still there _ . When she’d purified the akuma responsible for this mess, she’d expected the magical tattoos to vanish, like any other akuma-caused damage. Except, this time it didn’t. She didn’t know why, and neither did Tikki. For a long time, she couldn’t forgive herself, knowing that civilians were suffering and vulnerable because  _ her _ powers decided to falter.

She made a small noise of frustration, her mind far away.  _ I should have done something, anything- _

“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” Paul said, shaking her out of her head once again. “I’ve got the cafe covered, and Sandy comes in at 8.”

Marinette sighed. “I’m so sorry, I’m just lost in thought.”

“I know. That’s why I offered.” 

She dusted her hands off on her apron. “Okay, but I owe you one.”

Paul smiled. “I’ll remember that.”

* * *

Marinette tried to remember who else knew she still had her secret, and the only person she could think of was Alya. They were having a study party all-nighter, and Marinette had stretched and yawned. Luckily, Alya hadn’t seen what the letters said but, like every other resident of Paris, she recognized the writing. 

Alya still thought her greatest secret was that she was in love with Adrien. Marinette never denied or confirmed this, adding it to her collection of lies.

Her phone buzzed. 

**_Alya_ ** _ : Hey, Nino ran into Adrien the other day and we’re getting pizza tonight for dinner. Any way you can ditch work? _

Marinette eagerly shot back a response.

**_Marinette:_ ** _ Yeah, Paul gave me the rest of the day anyway. I’ll stop home real quick to freshen up then I’ll head over. Your house? _

**_Alya:_ ** _ Yeah, perfect. See you then ;) _

**_Marinette:_ ** _ What’s the winky face for? _

Alya didn’t respond, which made Marinette believe she was up to something. Then again, Alya was  _ always _ up to something. She rushed home, hastily applying some makeup and curling her hair. She slipped into a pair of black leggings and a t-shirt, deciding that it seemed like an okay outfit for whatever Alya was planning.

She couldn’t seem to shake a sinking feeling in her gut.

On the inside, she knew Alya would inevitably try to make Marinette reveal her secret. Alya and Nino were open books, having revealed their deepest secrets years ago. However, they both knew that Marinette still hadn’t told Adrien about her crush, and they always tried to push for it to happen.

No one knew if Adrien still had his secret. No one even knew what it was.

He was fairly closed-off now. He was always busy, whether he was running his father’s company while he faced jail time, or working on his college degree. The trio had barely talked to him in a year, and hanging out with him was out of the picture. 

**_Marinette:_ ** _ Hey, I’m heading over now. Try to save some pizza for me. _

Alya never responded.

* * *

“Remind me again, babe, why we have to do this.” Nino, having just gotten off the phone with the pizza place, was seriously questioning his girlfriend.

“Trust me.” Alya had everything planned out perfectly. Maybe it had taken six years, 42 plans, and 41 failed attempts, but she  _ would _ get Adrien and Marinette together. This plan was basically foolproof.

“I do trust you.” Nino pushed up his glasses. “But… I don’t think this is going to work.”

He gestured to the giant twister board spread out on the floor. 

Alya nodded, a serious expression on her face. “This is the most confident I’ve felt about a plan in a while.”

The doorbell rang, sending Alya into action. “I’ll answer it. You make sure the video games are set up and the snack buffet is ready.”

Nino sighed. “I didn’t sign up for this.”

Alya shouted to him from the other room, “You’re doing this because you love me!”

“Right,” he plastered a goofy grin on his face. “I love you.”

* * *

Adrien, miraculously (ha), had managed to get the day off from work  _ and  _ school. It was impressive. 

And, honestly? He was so thrilled about tonight. A stress-free night hanging out with his best friends sounded just like what he needed. 

He rang the doorbell, showing up at seven o’clock sharp. Alya, breathless, answered the door in record time. “Hi.”

He smiled in greeting. “Hey. It’s been a while, huh?”

“Too long,” she said, nodding.

Adrien stepped inside, taking in their cozy apartment. “Nice place.”

“Yeah,” Alya said. “How’ve you been? Found a girlfriend yet?”

He was taken aback by her words. “What? I’m good. No, uh, no girlfriend. Work is super busy.”

“Good.” Alya beamed at him, but there was something behind her eyes that made him feel unsettled. “Want some chips and salsa?”

He followed her into the kitchen where Nino stood, donning an apron and oven mitts. He pulled a small bowl out of the oven. “Queso, anyone?”

Adrien burst out laughing. “I guess you’re the trophy wife, huh?”

Nino took off the mitts. “Yeah, dude.” They did the bro hug, obviously. “How have you been?”

“Busy,” Adrien said, “but I’m so excited about tonight.”

“Me too, bro.” Nino ate a chip with a loud crunch right as the doorbell rang. Alya’s eyes lit up, and she and Nino exchanged a glance.

“What’s up with Alya?” Adrien asked once she had left the room.

“Nothing new.” Nino shrugged. “But I did want to talk to you about a little something I’ve been planning.”

* * *

Marinette walked in the door and was greeted by an energetic Alya. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Nothing.” Alya grinned uncontrollably. “Tonight’s going to be the best night of your life.”

Marinette giggled a little. “Ok.”

They wandered into the kitchen where the boys seemed to be discussing something serious. Nino frantically shoved a boxy object into his back pocket. “What are you two talking about?” Alya demanded.

“Uhhh,” Nino backpedaled. 

“The weather,” Adrien chimed in right as Nino said, “The news.”

Alya eyed them. “You two are terrible.”

“Anyway,” Marinette cut in, “Hi! It’s been a while since we’ve all hung out. This should be fun!”

Adrien’s eyes landed on her for the first time. He hadn’t seen her in- what was it, a year? Regardless, she looked stunning. His eyes followed her when she moved. She was just wearing a t-shirt and leggings; cute, but simple. Why, all of the sudden, was she so alluring? Perhaps it was the confidence she gave off nonstop as she laughed and talked. Whatever it was, she was breathtaking.

_ They do say distance makes the heart grow fonder.  _

Alya cleared her throat, saying something about heading into the living room and breaking Adrien out of his trance. He heard her mumble something along the lines of ‘this will be easier than I thought’ to Nino.

Adrien didn’t know what  _ that _ meant. 

* * *

“Oh  _ hell _ no,” Marinette said after they were gathered in the living room.

“What,” Alya said teasingly, “you’re afraid of a little game of Twister?”

Marinette’s eyes hardened with a newfound determination. “No way. You’re all going down.”

“Well, I call doing the spinner. You three can knock yourselves out,” Alya said.

Marinette glared and dropped into a runner’s stretch. “Just a forewarning, I’m the reigning champion of this game.”

Adrien, surprisingly, spoke up just as cockily as the bluenette. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve played this for ten years with my fencing group. I’ve only lost once.”

Marinette, a little shocked at his words, fought for something to say.

Nino backed up, his hands in the air. “Look, I don’t want to get between you two. I feel this awkward sexual tension and I’m out-”

Alya sent Nino a scowl that felt as harsh as a physical slap.

“On another note, count me in.” Nino started stretching, glancing at the other two with something like fear in his eyes.

Once everyone was properly stretched out and ready, Alya started calling out commands. They were simple enough, cueing unproblematic movements such as Marinette moving her right hand to green or Adrien stepping his left foot to blue.

Before Nino knew it, he was a human pretzel. Marinette and Adrien both seemed poised and elegant, but he was a mess. His hands were on all of the colors at once, one leg was twisted over his shoulder, and he couldn’t feel his left foot. 

“Uh, I don’t know how much longer I’ll last,” Nino said. Neither Marinette or Adrien responded, making him think that they didn’t even consider him an opponent anymore.

_ Great. _

“Alya, can I forfeit yet, or no?” He looked up at his girlfriend, and she simply glanced at him and spun the spinner.

“Right hand yellow, Nino.”

“But-”

“Right hand yellow,  _ Nino. _ ”

He sighed and stretched his hand to touch what he hoped was a yellow dot. 

* * *

Finally, Nino collapsed. He was physically and emotionally numb. He just wanted some salsa.

Alya frowned when he rolled off of the board. 

He got to his feet and flopped onto the couch next to her. After a moment to catch his breath, he watched Marinette and Adrien gracefully maneuver around each other and the board with ease. When he looked at Alya, he saw that she was ignoring whatever the spinner said and instead reading off a list of pre-planned movements. 

He gaped. “Did you plan this whole game or-”

She shut him up by shoving a chip loaded with queso in his mouth.  _ Mmm, bliss. _

“Marinette, left foot blue.” 

Nino noticed that she had scribbled in ‘Nino’s out’ at the very spot where he had collapsed. Chewing, he frowned. That wasn’t fair. His own girlfriend didn’t have faith in him.

At the same time, he didn’t blame her. Adrien and Marinette were Twister  _ gods _ .

Alya gradually sped up the calling out of the actions, and Nino wandered into the other room to grab some popcorn.

* * *

Adrien was determined to win. The petite girl in front of him didn’t stand a chance against him. Twenty minutes in, he was trying to still convince himself that. 

She was  _ good. _

They moved around each other like they were performing a waltz they’d practiced a million times. He felt like he was fighting an akuma with Ladybug; they were so synchronized. He hardly focused on her, though, forcing himself to only do what Alya said instead. 

After a while, he was hungry. The room smelled like popcorn and he wanted some.  _ Where was the pizza? _ Soon after that, he was exhausted and his muscles were starting to shake.

It was then when he realized the position that he and Marinette were in. He was low to the ground, practically on his back, with Marinette straddling him. 

He almost lost balance. He could tell Marinette was struggling, too. “Uh, sorry-”

He tried to move but didn’t want to risk losing the game. He could hear Alya snickering in the background. She then called out Marinette’s next move, which had her reaching over his shoulder. It would’ve been fine for him, but because she was so short, she really had to reach to get her hand on the dot.

He was trying so hard not to focus on the proximity of Marinette. He stared at the ceiling or an odd patch on the wall. It was no use. All he felt was her body heat.

She adjusted her footing, shifting her weight from side to side. The hem of her t-shirt tickled his nose, and he fought the urge to sneeze.

Then, he noticed it.

Why hadn’t he seen it before?

The black letters spelling out ‘I am Ladybug’ spattered across her waistband, just above where her leggings stopped.

His brain short-circuited. He slumped to the ground, and Marinette let out a shaky whoop and rolled to the side. She collapsed right next to Adrien.

He was numb. Nino hauled him to his feet, slapping his back. “Good try, dude. You almost had her.”

He didn’t respond.    
  


“I won! I did it.” Marinette stood and poked her finger in his chest. “Take that, Agreste-” She stopped when she saw his facial expression. “What’s wrong?”

He said nothing.

Alya smirked. “I’m going to go get some more popcorn so that we can finally start the movie night.”

Nino started whispering to Adrien. “Hey, remember the plan. Come on, bro. I need you. Snap out of it.”

He just stared at Marinette in response.

How had he not seen it before? She was  _ literally _ Ladybug. Everything she did, every smile she had, every word she said- it all screamed Ladybug.

He had been so close to his lady for so many years, and neither of them had known. He had  _ lost _ his lady for two years, only to find her beside him the whole time. He had isolated himself from Marinette while mourning the loss of Ladybug.

And they were the same. damn. person.

“Goddamnit.” He sighed. “I’m an idiot.”

Nino seemed concerned. “Adrien, I’m serious. This is important. I need your help.  _ Now.  _ Go distract her in the kitchen before she-”

Adrien burst into giggles, slapping his forehead. “We’re both fools.”

Marinette looked at him as if she was worried he was going insane. He probably was.

Nino was pleading now while reaching into his back pocket. “At least get out your phone to record it. I hear her coming, come on…”

Alya walked back into the room, holding four massive bowls of popcorn. “Could one of you give me a hand-”

She stopped at the sight of Nino on one knee in front of her. In an instant, all of the popcorn bowls tumbled to the floor. Alya gasped, tears stinging her eyes.

“Alya Césaire, will you marry me?” Nino said, offering a shy yet charming smile.

Marinette gasped and started grinning like a mad man. 

“Yes!” Alya yelled. She rushed forward, crushing popcorn under her feet and grabbed Nino in a massive hug. Finally, she drew back and kissed him. Both of them were crying.

Marinette felt a little teary-eyed herself. This was such a beautiful moment-

“Maybe we should get married next, milady,” Adrien whispered in her ear, smirking and wiggling his eyebrows.

She drew away. “What did you just say?”

“I said-” Adrien winked- “maybe we should get married next.”

A few puzzle pieces connected in her mind. “And what did you call me?”

He smiled softly. “Milady.”

She gaped at him for a few seconds, then rolled her eyes. “There is no way-”

“You better start believing it.”

She stared into his eyes, trying to see something that wasn’t there. “I can’t believe we’ve been right under each other’s noses this whole time.”

“I can,” Adrien said. Then he leaned in and kissed Marinette. Hesitant, he drew back after a second. “Is this okay?”

“More than okay, kitty,” Marinette sighed.

It really was the perfect moment. They were about to kiss again when Nino said,  “Break it up, lovebirds,” but he and Alya were smiling from ear to ear. 

“You’re one to talk,” Marinette frowned and then started laughing.

“See, Nino?” Alya turned to face her boyfriend- wait, fiancee- and grinned. “Plan 42 worked like a charm.”

Adrien said, “Like a lucky charm.” The pair laughed.

“Well, I’m just glad all of your scheming is over.” Nino bent over to start picking up the popcorn. “Wait, how did you plan this?”

Alya shrugged, a smug look on her face. “I planned every move of twister so that they would end up on top of each other- which worked wonderfully- and so that Adrien could  _ finally _ see Marinette’s secret.” 

Adrien glanced at Marinette. “Wait, you knew about-”

Alya, unaware of anything, lifted up the hem of Marinette’s shirt. “And, see. Now Marinette’s secret is gone because she finally told Adrien she liked him. Problem solved.”

Nino’s jaw unhinged. “Uh, babe, take a look-”

Alya’s smile disappeared in a matter of seconds. “Marinette, why isn’t your secret gone?” She read the words and then gasped as it disappeared. “Why does it say-”

“-that I’m Ladybug?” Marinette ran a hand through her hair, avoiding her friends’ eyes. “Because it’s the truth.”

Alya screamed and shoved Marinette onto the floor into the popcorn. “And you didn’t even think to tell me this?”

“Well, no. I couldn’t-”

“That’s bullshit!” Alya swore. “We’re best friends!” She quieted down after a second. “Wait, I’m best friends with Ladybug-”

Nino carefully guided Alya to sit down on the couch, dusting off some kernels. “Breathe, babe. It’s okay.”

After a minute, Adrien sheepishly said, “Double wedding?” 

Alya held up a finger. “Hold on, Agreste. I’m still processing this crap.”

Marinette went into the kitchen to get the broom while Nino rubbed Alya’s arm soothingly. Adrien ran after her. “Wait, Marinette- How do you think she’ll react to me being Chat Noir?”

Marinette thought for a second. “She’ll probably commit first-degree murder, then write an article for the Ladyblog on how Ladynoir is official, not to mention writing an unhealthy amount of fanfics about the various versions of our love square and a rant on tumblr about her ‘otp’-”

Adrien gulped. “Got it. We don’t need to tell her yet.”

Walking into the other room, they found that Alya seemed less on the verge of a panic attack and more under control. “I think I forgive you, Marinette. I understand why you couldn’t tell me. Now help me clean up this mess, please,” Alya said, laughing slightly.

They all obliged, silently helping her pick up. Fifteen minutes later, the entire living room was free of popcorn kernels. All was calm.

That was, until Adrien blurted, “I’m Chat Noir.”

“Why did you tell her?” Marinette punched his arm. “I thought we weren’t going to tell her!”

Alya dropped the full dustpan of popcorn and fainted.

* * *

The pizza delivery person never showed up.

**Author's Note:**

> please give me feedback my serotonin supply depends upon it lol  
> also if you wanna check out some more fluff and disastrous writing, I have other stories  
> thanks for making it this far :)


End file.
